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That’s what I thought too it’s goofy looking but I was surprised at the results… it’s lightweight it’s foldable you could tip over without worrying about the carb lol I use my Segway to mow with this and it normally takes me 1.5 hours but now 35-50 mins… lol
I've had this lawn mower since the start of the season this year. So far so good. I love it. I have a small lawn. Definitely if your grass is thicker or damp then the batteries will drain a lot faster. But I have tons of the craftsman tools and I have a backup pair of 4.0Ah batteries ready to swap in if needed. In the height of the season when the grass was thick and if I waited too long to mow then I would expect to swap out to a second pair. Towards the end of the season now when the grass is starting to settle down I'll still have plenty of charge left to power the weed whacker on one of those original batteries. I wish the wheels didn't feel so cheap. Getting used to a plastic mower vs a metal lawn mower is jarring but you get used to it. I never worry about my mower not starting up or getting gas, storing gas, or smelling like gas. And the best part: It's so quiet. I can mow early in the morning and not even wake up my wife, nobody would know I was mowing if they didn't see me. Excellent.
Batteries charge last longer if you bag rather than if you mulch. Seems like holding the grass in to be cut and recut works the motor harder so the run time is reduced.
Purchased this mower March 2021 along with a number of additional V20 electric items that has really made my yard maintenance experience top key. I am a 41-year-old woman in South Texas. Primarily, my yard is St. Augustine and I feed it with the Scott's plan bundle four times a year and keep the mowing heights at 5 because I like the puffiness of the yard and to keep it too low will stress your yard. The 5 amp batteries do have the charging legend on the opposite side of the battery so you can see where it stands if you leave it uncharged. My yard is 1,325 sq feet and it covers the front and back with extra battery to spare. If you leave your grass from a 4 to 5 height with fully charged batteries and a 1,300-foot yard you should be good. I wouldn't say the design is "goofy" but I will say the design is exceptional for the lawn mower to cut under areas without having to move the unit like patio tables. The plastic tires are a hard durable plastic so they've kept up really well. Thank you for posting this - I liked the detail and content and happy you recommended this product. The V20 series is a really good set of tools to get jobs done. Also, at select Lowe's - you can purchase the V20 lawnmower and get the V20 weedwacker free that can serve as an edger plus weedeater.
Thanks for the tip! I appreciate you giving this a watch. We will definitely check out the weed eater as well. We were surprised at how well it did compared to some of the other mowers out there with bigger marketing budgets. Hope you stick around!
@@TheLawnReview Please educate me on this - so the side chute. For mulching, I leave the side chute out of the machine to mulch and to keep grass clippings I insert the side chute? I was curious when you explained this because I keep the side chute inserted because I thought that was mulching and then I'd sweep the grass clippings back to the grass. Was curious, thanks!
@@estenhouse1909 Yes, I see the confusion now as I rewatch the video. To side discharge the clippings - put the chute on the side. To mulch the clippings - take off the chute and don't put on the bag. To bag - leave off the side chute and put the bag on the back of the mower. Does that help clarify? I apologize for the confusion there and thank you for highlighting!
Enjoyed the Craftsman v20 demo. I bought one at Lowes and was very satisfied with the first mowing -- even lawn height result and as you said -- initially concerned about the "cheap" appearance but hope it holds together for several seasons. I have crepe myrtle too and I have no clue how to get rid of it. IO live in Virginia and I just try to keep it cut back and rounded. See that you made 1000 subscribers -- congratulations!
Super helpful review; my neighbor actually loaned us his when I took him our old gas powered one to repair if possible... We definitely have a much smaller lawn but I still had to stop to recharge the batteries, but I was able to do about 80% of it... We may buy one after this test drive. Thanks again.
That is awesome! If you wan't something with higher runtime and similar feel to a gas mower check out the Milwaukee M18 mower or the Greenworks 80v mower
I love this mower for what it offers from the user experience side. The top handle can also be folded and secured to the size it was in the box for upright storage and the wheels are cheap but like any other mower they are wear items and on grass you shouldn't see to much wear. I upgraded to the 9ah battery and have cut my. 25 acre lot 4 times and it's still going strong at about 25 minutes of run each time. I also have the dual battery charger and additional batteries. Love cutting the grass without noise. Edited to add that any standard 7" wheel can be substituted for the plastic wheels of you want a heavier wheel and rubber combo. They can be found currently for < $20 a pair.
Just opened mine today and the two 5AH batteries that come with it have buttons that you press to display how much charge is left. There are three white lights next to the button. 1 being lit up is almost dead. 2 is halfway. 3 is a full charge.
I just purchased one today 04-14-2023. You're video is very helpful. I haven't used it yet because the batteries need to be charged. I will let you know once I use it. For now I can say there is one major change. The batteries have to big indicators on them now. I'll post pics later and confirm the charging time
Thanks to your review & the Craftesman reputation, just got mine from Lowe's with an added Bonus of a weed trimmer ( Free with mower purchase. Trimmer comes with its own battery & charger) Can't wait to use it.
@@TheLawnReview Update on the trimmer. Wow, I'm very impressed with the 20V Craftesman Trimmer. Exceeded my expectations. Very durable & strong running. I'm old school & was skeptical about going battery powered lawn mower & trimmer, but am a firm believer now 👍 Also reviewed lots of battery operated mowers and narrowed down to the Craftesman. It's value packed with quality 👍 Now only need the 20V leaf blower
Thank you for this review. What mower deck height did you use? I have never operated a lawn mower before. I also just bought one of these a few hours ago. Quietly freaking out about unboxing the mower and cutting grass for the first time in my life tomorrow. Your review did help ease some of my anxiety. 😊
Hi Lisa! Thank you very much for the kind review! I used the highest deck height which was 3.5”. You’ll be fine. Perfect mower to start out on. Let us know how it goes!
@@TheLawnReview it went great, thank you. Just had a chance to cut the grass today after a couple days of rain. Now the yard looks like somebody lives here. 🌻
I just put my mower together but I haven't started it yet. Thank you for this review. It makes me feel good that you like this mower. I wasn't sure how to use the side flap and attachment so I'm glad you showed that. I got a free blower with mine and it was on sale. I'm still having trouble understanding the battery charging, etc. but I'll figure it out. No idea on the crepe myrtle (I love the ones I have) so I can't help you there but I did subscribe instead to help you.
For anyone that might be asking when you fold the lawn mower it pushed in a black plastic piece that is a safety off. You will have to pull the tab out to start it after storage
thanks for the review. I have the Craftsman V20 system for hand tools, string trimmer, blower, skillsaw, sawzall, etc. and was thinking of getting the Craftsman gas powered engine that starts with the V20 battery. I'm not getting any younger and pulling a cord to start a mower is not my idea of fun anymore when a "one pull" start is a thing of the past. I already own a 6amp battery, so If I were to get another one to have, I could easily mow my own yard and my sisters as well. Yes, charging up my 6amp battery does take time, but I can weed eat, and blow my entire yard and still have 2 lights on the battery. Great review.
Thanks, Gigi. We were pleasantly surprised by how well this mower did. If you already have other V20 products, then this is definitely the best mower for you.
I’ve owned mine for over a year. I use it for primarily trimming around my home. Your review is spot on. I have the Craftsman platform so having extra batteries wasn’t an issue. I’ve found the 6Amp batteries seem to last about 20 % longer than the 5 Amp. The 6Amp would get me close to the 50 minute suggested run time, this also depends on the length of the grass and if it’s wet. Also I sharpen my blade at the beginning of the year and it is cutting better than when new.
Lowe's is the only store you can get anything Craftsman. I just bought this exact same one last night. I only paid $75 cause it was the display and it came with a blower.
Great review. I'm invested in the Craftsman V20 universe with hand/lawn tools and have a number of batteries and chargers. I've been going back and forth with the purchase. My main concern was the apparent "cheapness" or Fisher Price look and feel of the unit. Do the wheels look like they can be removed and replaced with a more substantial or durable wheel from the hardware store?
Thanks, Dan! We thought the wheels were pretty cheap and plasticky but then were surprised by the actual use. And yes, I bet you could pop them off and trade them in if you wanted.
I got a mower just like this, it works great but one of my levers just broke due to the cheap plastic any idea on how to replace it or how to manage? Thanks for the awesome review
I bought this lawn mower about 4 months ago. My experience has been terrible. ive never said so many MF's in my life as every saturday when i drag this hunk of crap out of my garage to mow my lawn. i wind up using the weedeater to cut the last half of the yard each time. not trying to be a debbie downer just dont want others to make the same mistake as me.
It should have stated in the manual that pretty much all mower blades come with a thick coating of paint on the edge of the blade to protect it from rusting. It also explains that after starting it up and cutting for just a few seconds it will rub the paint off and expose the sharp edge.
Great question! It really depends on what type of grass you have. But I always say the higher the better. I usually cut at its highest or second to highest setting. I have a bunch of videos that talk about why but the short answer is because it helps your (desirable) grass grow better!
Sure can since my post I’ve found an off brand battery on eBay. It’s just listed as a Max Lithium-ion. I just recently purchased a 9-A and it was just about the price of a craftsman 6-A and so far it had lasted just as long as my craftsman 9-A. If you’re having battery issues I’d have the battery tested of it could even be the mower itself. My is still going strong…
Thanks for the review, just bought this with the Lowe's memorial day special and opted to get the free leaf blower since I already have a battery weed trimmer. I will see how it does I only need it for small part of back yard my riding mower cannot get to. You missed lowering the top half of mower to get full upright storage capability and in the Craftsman write up for this mower. 50 minute run time lists ** at mowing tope 1/3 of grass height on level 5 with both batteries at full charge.
I bought this mower because I was already in the craftsman v20 tools. I have a 1/2 acre lot and I have to use two sets of batteries to do my whole lawn. If my grass gets really high sometimes I will need to use a third set of batteries. The 4.0 batteries work great and the 2.0 batteries will even work in a pinch. Don’t use the knock off batteries though. I had a set of knock off 6.0 batteries and they had a shorter run time than the craftsman 4.0 batteries did, one of them also failed on me in less than a year. Has been a good mower for me! The only thing I don’t like is that the batteries are exposed… I wish they had a cover to keep the clippings from blowing into the battery tray.
Craftsman has the WORST customer service ever! They actually sent me an email when I needed service help telling me that there were NO service repair options they could offer, that they had NO parts or schematics to offer anyone tryin to repair one of these, that they had NO batteries to offer anyone needing one if they failed, and telling me to recycle my mower and buy something new!!! Luckily I was able to fix mine when it would not start after tearing it apart and trial and error efforts... I will NEVER buy another Craftsman product again. Like the mower and its accessory tools, but have ZERO ability to depend on them for any service or repair issue.... NOT the Craftsman of yesterday when Sears owned them.... Also, they got rid of entire V60 line if you bought one of those products!!!
Bought mine a couple months ago and the batteries last a long time. The only thing I'm hating and trying to figure out what to do is the height. Got front and back wheels at the highest level and it looks like I'm strip mining my poor yard. Really puts a strain on the batteries. Any suggestions would be great. Oh, and batteries last around 50 min. for me and takes around 4 hours to charge back up.
I’m thinking of buying this I have a small lawn care company and I have a couple of yards where I don’t need a bulky gas powered mower. I think this would be great especially since I do the yards maybe twice a month since we get very little rain down in Texas. I already have the v20 line up and a couple of 9 ah batteries so hopefully it will match up But great video this really helped me and I’m for sure giving this a like and a sub
Thank you!! Yeah you'd be fine with this for battery life so long as you're mowing about a half acre or less! Anything more than that you'll need another battery (which it sounds like you do!)
@@TheLawnReview Exactly. I remeber the good days of craftsman. That have sure went down hill since black and decker got a hood of them. It’s like they’re trying to be like ryobi with their power tools. But they fail miserably
Can you put a picture of the part of the bail handle. I took it off and don't know how to put it back. The black part that goes on the bail handle, which starts the mower is the part I need, haven't been able to find it. I glued it but it doesn't work, it could be I'm placing the bail handle wrong.
FYI all Craftsman batteries have charge indicators on them. I think it's even mentioned in the instructions. Also, it is recommended that batteries must be fully charged before operation to get the best performance out of your mower. Overall good video.
This mower is terrible. I have used lawn mowers for years and this one is a bad investment. Looks like it was made by Fisher Price. The wheels are paper thin, the height adjustment levers are a joke, no battery cover and the blade cutting edge is only 2 inches on each side. I returned it and purchased a Ryobi 40V at Home Depot for the same price, now that's a solid mower.
@@TheLawnReview I loved your review, exellent job. It's just my personal opinion as a diesel mechanic... I know quality and durability when I see it, but its not there. For someone that has a small lawn it should be fine for a couple of years, but for a 1/4 or 1/2 an acre... forget it, but then again it's just my opinion. Ryobi 40V is the way to go, same price, but it's like a Cadillac vs a Nissan leaf.
Get a remote lapel mic system. Great video. I will watch more for sure. Great point about the look of these things. I have a Toro and it looks just like a gas mower pretty much. Can I move to your neighborhood? It looks beautiful.
@@TheLawnReview Yes you have. I saw you have a lapel mic now. Keep up the good work. You have a good voice and personality for video. Keep creating content.
Hey TLR! I have a quick question about this mower that I haven't been able to find an answer to yet online. I see that it has a plastic deck, does it at least have a metal... shield? shell? around the blade chamber? One of the frames from your video looks like it does have a metal lining but I just want to make sure, as a plastic deck seems a little concerning to me!
Plastic decks are a little concerning which is why I don't rave about this mower. EGO has one too on most of their models. Milwaukee is my favorite because they have a metal deck and so do many of the Greenworks mowers. This one is all plastic.
The safety interlock ( located on the right side, which is black in color.) has to click or the mower will not start. Craftsman should have made stronger spring with safety interlock because vibration will cause mower to stop and you will have to reset safety interlock with click.
True for any lithium battery of any product, don't run the packs until they shut off and don't store them at full charge. The manufacturers design them to slightly over charge and greatly over discharge the cells to deliberately shorten the lifespan. They are in the business to make money!
@@supercraig2009 By people selling them or by people that heard it from people selling them? That was true for NiCd because of the "memory" effect. NiCd, NiMh and lead like to be at full charge, lithium likes to be at half. Taking lithium below 20% shortens the lifespan and going lower like the packs are set to really shortens it.
@@TheLawnReview I have more experience with laptops which also use lithium-ion batteries. Running laptop batteries completely dead is something I try to avoid, and it's ESPECIALLY important to avoid leaving li-ion dead for long periods of time. Store in a cool dry place and put them on the charger periodically over winter as they will self-discharge. I also had a laptop that had a battery longevity extension option that would stop charging at 80% charge, fwiw.
I didn't get to see the caliper of the tree because it's cut down but probably 4 feet lol if you dig out it's usually better to leave like 6 feet of trunk so you can dig around all the main roots and just chain saw them then use the stump to help pull it out bit you can still dig all around it then put a rope or chain on the a main root to pull it out
You forgot a lot of the pros. Such as low profile meaning you could get underneath stuff that other mowers with a Motorhead will not so less weed eating. Another pro is that they combo it with a blower or a weed eater a lot of times you need to look at the sales. Other pro is that if it senses too much resistance that it will shut the motor down without damaging the blade. Another pro is that you can run the 9 amp batteries on it and get over an hour of mowing. Another pro of it is that the polymer that it's made out of does not let grass stick to the underneath side very easily can be brushed or wiped away off of it by hand no water needed. And quite honestly the only con that I see about this mower is the safety mechanism on it sometimes does not spring out because the weak spring so people think it's broke but it's not. And one more con is that you and not get replacement blades that are from Craftsman cuz they are very thin. Although you can get other blades from off brand 20-in blade that will fit they will just be heavier and give you a little less run time.
My lawnmower same as yours the back wheel lever is broken off it and I didn't do anything to it is these easy to break I think my 1 year old broke it lol
@@TheLawnReview nope the handle is broke I'm going to take it back and just get a gas one instead plus the electric doesn't fit for me it only last 30 minutes or less lol
I’ve had one for about a year. The front height adjuster was the first thing to crack, and taking the plastic wheel off to change the part out was obnoxiously difficult
The reason why it broke is because you need to lift the mower by hand while adjusting it's common sense they're plastic parts you can't put a lot of force on them without alleviating the weight.
Just bought one from Lowe's heads up to viewers. Lowe's has a sale. Buy this mower and receive a free gift. You get to choose between a weed eater or A blower. I chose the blower that includes a battery... a value of $149.00. sale is good till 5/15/24 Haven't unboxed it yet but after watching this video I feel good about my purchase.
Great review, I'm headed to Lowes! As several readers pointed out if you already have craftsman tools chances are you'll have spare batteries. As to battery charge level, there's a button and three lights on the back to push and indicate charge level. I've never seen it mentioned and found it by accident after years of using Craftsman
My mower's date code is under the bagger's swing door, embossed into the frame. This date code and be used for warranty purposes, if you can't find your receipt like me?
I bought the mower and used it twice, it suddenly stopped working, I am sure the battery is charged and when I pressed ON switch, I could hear the start of power but the blade was not running, any ideas ?
Side note I place extra charged batteries rt behind the front batteries they won’t fly out cuz of the side walls… this way you already have fresh batteries oh another thing I fold the bars a third time and it fits in a small compartment out if the way… yep thanks
I swapped the stock blade for a standard 3-1 blade and it takes an okay electric mower and makes it a great one. The stock blade is trash in so many ways
For anybody wondering, the battery indicator is on the battery's, just pull one out and press the button If you uave a big yard, id invest in the 9 amp battery
I know this is late but your batteries do have a light to show the remaining battery life. There’s a button and theee lights on the side opposite of where it clips in. Hope this helps if you didn’t already know that.
Craig Murtle trees are nearly indestructible. I once cut down a 18ft tree and ground down the stump. Little Craig murtles grew up out of the roots 🤦♂️
Just bought this mower. I looked at so many and bought this one thinking it had the option of being battery or gasoline powered. 🥴 I am very grateful for your review. I was considering returning it, but am going to use it now after your review. You were very thoughtful and thorough in your approach.
So is this the sears or black and decker version of craftsman? Also how does it compare to the V60? I've had the 60 for a few years, which is really powerful, but its only a matter of time the huge battery dies. Which apparently is made by cub cadet and doesnt last long.
Interesting - we haven't used the 60V version of this one yet, but I'm surprised to hear that about the battery. Not totally sure about Sears or Black and Decker but my gut wants to say Black and Decker just because of the battery design.
I am starting a new lawn and I need to cut it about 2 and half inches high. Your video said it will only cut it 1 and half inches at top setting. Is that right? Thanks. Enjoyed your video.
Nice review. I am getting one of these tomorrow. I use a Husqvarna gas mower with a Honda engine and it is great but my state is outlawing gas mowers, not only that, I have all Craftsman's other V20 yard tools so a 100% green service will be great to offer.
I like it except for the wheels They are the same quality as a child’s lawn vehicle. It’s difficult to maneuver if the grass is even a little bit wet. I own several Craftsman battery operated tools so that’s why I went with Craftsman. I wish I had spent the extra $100 and got the self-propelled. My first run times were only 30 minutes I believe because the grass was pretty high for the first cut. My riding mower that I’m not comfortable using has a flat tire and I had let the grass get too high. I’m hopeful that time will increase on the next cut.
I agree with you on the wheels. They are definitely cheap. You should hopefully get more run time once your grass is at a more maintainable level - were you bagging? Usually that slows you down some more with added weight.
Good point about the bagger. I did use it because the grass was so tall. In the future I plan to mulch. My husband passed a year & a half ago & he did all the outside work so it’s all new to me. Mine came with a “free” leaf blower. It doesn’t have as much power as the Toro I have, but is so much lighter. I also have the weed trimmer. It’s lightweight, has a long run time & does a good job.
I used the mower twice. Now it will not start. 😢 Safety shut off at base of handle is ok, key is in, and no damage that I know of. Any ideas???? 19:05 And the blade turns freely by hand.
